Apparatus for mercerizing textile fabrics.



E. HEBERLEIN. APPARATUS FOR MBRGERIZING TEXTILE FABRICS. APPLICATIONFILED 11mm, 1910.

978,883., Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

NVENTOR, www SES: f img-)RD HEBERLHN y To all whom it may concern:

UNTED STATES PATENT clarion.

EDUAVRD HEBERIJEINI', 0F WATTWIL, SWITZERLAD, ASSIGNOR T0 HEBERLEIN cC0.,

I Y 0F WATTWIL, SWITZERLAND, A FIRM.

APPARATUS FOR MERCERIZING TEXTILE FABRICS.

Be it known that I, EDUARD-HEBERLEIN, doctor oflphilosophy andmanufacturer, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of Wattwil,canton of St. Gall, Switzerland," have invented' a new and usefulApparatus forv Mercerizing Textile Fabrics, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The present invention consists in an ap- 1paratus whereby fabrics ofall. kinds may e mercerized uniformly and so as to pro- .duce goods ofne appearance witha minimum amount of'damage to the fabric.

It has already been proposed to mercerize textile fabrics by washingthefabric previously impregnated with alkali lye with- `out theemployment of means for preventing l the shrinkage of the fabric, and bystretching the sald fabric transversely during the washing process. Thismercerizing.

process has, however, not been-employed up to the present and noapparatus is known which would be capable of performingdt in a"satisfactory way,'because when this process is performed with the usualstretching devices, such as -tentering chains, tentering nippers and thelike, the fabric suffers so much damage, in 'consequence of the forcibletransverse stretching, that the process is not applicablefor li htfabrics. I

v have now found-that this amaging effect upon the lgoods'in the saidmercerlzing process arises from the fact that the fabric impregnatedwith alkali lye possesses avariable and so great an extensibility duringthe washing process that such a forcible transverse stretching, as hasbeen produced by the means hitherto tried'in this process,

is not at all necessary, but that itis sufficient to lead the previouslyimpregnated tissue or fabric, during the washing operation, over acertain number of arched rotatable rollers known per se as fabricdistending means from Mycocks United States Letters 'Patent No. 687847,dated December 3d 1901, and which, as the result of their rotationlunderthepull of the fabric, push the shrunken fabric without undue strainfrom themiddle toward the ed es and thus bring it back to its originalw1dth without exercising a forcible action.

The drawing illustrates one form of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 8, 1910. Serial No. 542,740.

Batented.v Dec. 20, 1910..

The .fabric a (Fig. 1). passes througlrthe -trough b which is filledwith soda lye and surrounded by a cooling jacket c. The fabric is firstsqueezed at ai, then passes again through the lye .in the trough b andis squeezed under powerful pressure by Ithe,

roller e. It then travels over a guide roller f and is afterward passedoverseveral groupsof arched stretching rollers g disposed alternatelyatdifferent heights and displaced with relation to one another, saidrollers being mounted parallel to each other and arranged in groups.These rollers are arranged either wholly or in part within' a washingbath z, which serves to "wash the fabric at the same time. On leavingeach group of said stretching rollers g the fabric .1s passed through apair of squeezing rollers m and if necessary is also led by guideArollers, such as o between the second and third groups of tenteringrollers. i Each of the stretchin r rollers g, which are known per se bynited States Letters Patent 687847, consists of a number of rollerelements (Figs. 2 and 3) slipped over an arched shaft and provided withannular ribs' of saw-tooth section; they are also coupled together sothat they revolve together onl their shaft under the pull of thefabric.. In this way, owing to the divergent position of their rollerelements relatively to the fabric,

the stretching rollers cause the fabric to stretch laterally,- uniformlyon the whole width of the fabric, since the greater the distance oftheroller elements from the lon'- gitudinal middle line ofthe web.- andtherefore the more oblique their rotation to the longitudinal directionof the web, the more is the latter pushed from the said middle linetoward the edges and Vtherefore stretched. Since this lateral stretchingis effected in the washing bat-h la, and therefore during thewashingprocess; at a particular moment of which' thefabric exhibits itsgreatest exten-l sibility, it is effected very easily and quickly andwith little inju to the fabric. AThe number of the stretching rollersvaries with the nature of the fabric and the ldegree of stretchingrequired. The larger the total surface of contact between Ithe fabricand the stretching rollers, the more powerful is the effect. The greaterthe degree to which ifo,

the fabric is to be stretched the larger the support it should findoir-thc roller elements ot' the stretching rollers andv it is advisableto use a relatively large number of stretching rollers. The washingliquid employed for washing the fabric while being stretched in this wayis preferably warm, andl the' alctual stretching-rollers g in thebath 7iaresubmerged in such a manner that the fabric does not emerge from thebathat or for the greater part of the time. during which the actualstretching operation is proceeding.'-

After leaving the last pair of squeezing rollers fm. the fabric isreturnedto the washing bath for a final washing being led over guiderollers u in the tank. Thence it passes to the pairs of squeezingrollers p, p1 and is finally delivered into I/ or rolled up at 7.

In the drawing, the liquid used for washing the fabric'is contained inavat z' divided b v partitions o, fw, that extend quite or .partly downtio the bottom, to enable the `fabric to be washed by stages; or anumber of separate tanks or .'ats can also be used for the sainepurpose. Or the vat may be omitted entirely and its placebe taken by anumber of spraying pipesv discharging powerful `iets of water againstthe fabric passing over the stretching rollers g. In all cases it isimportant that the fabric impregnated with soda lve should be subjectedto the action of water from the commencementof its transition on to theparallel mounted arched stretching rollers,v or immediately thereafter,and also during the Whole' period of its course over the same. that isto say throughout the entire stretching process; the lateral stretching'will thus be effected siiiiultaneonsliwvith the washing, and under morefavorable conditions for protecting the fabritl from injury. The,compartment 4 of the vat i, from whence the fabric'passes to the pair ofsqueezing rollers 7i is fed' with pure 'ater by the inlet tube l7',while the adjacent compartment 3, containing the third set of stretchingrollers,.is fed with dilute l v e from 4, compartment A2, containing the`second group of stretching rollers being fed with less dilute lye front3 and compartment l. containing the first group of stretching.

rollersbeing fed with still less dilute lye from ly means of thisgraduated or methodical system of washing the alkali impregnated fabricb v stages on the countercurrent principle, an economical recovery ofthe mercerizing lye is insured.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for mercerizing textile fabrics` the combination of atank' for containingalkali l ve, and of means for passing the fabricthrough said tank in a trailsverselyunstietched.condition with a washingdevice for washing the fabric after passing through the said tank'comprising a tank for containing vthe washing'liquid provided witharched rotatable stretching rollers, arranged within the saidtaiik to beimmersed in the i-'asliing liquid and consisting of a number of rollerelements slipped over 'an arched shaft and provided with annular ribs ofsaw tooth section, and with means for causing the' fabric to .pass overthe stretching rollers while passing through the said washing device,for the purpose of causing the/fabric passing through the Washing deviceto be pushed Without undue strain from the' middleof the fabric towardthe edges, in consequence of the rotation of the' rollers under the'pull of the fabric, and of thus stretching the fabric to its originalwidth without the exercise of forcible action.

Q. In an apparatus for mercerizirg textile fabrics, the combination of atank for containing alkali lye, and-of means for passing the fabricthrough said tankv ina transversely unstretched .condition with awashing device for'washinnlthe fabric after passing through the sai'tank, comprising a tank for containing the washing liquid provided. witharched rotatable stretching rollers, disposed alternatelyat differentheights and displaced relatively to. one another within the said tank tobe immersed in the Washing liquid and consisting of a number of roller`elements slipped over an arched shaft and rovided with annular ribs ofsaw tooth section, and'with means for causing the fabric to pass'overt-he rollers while passing through the said washing device for thepurpose A of causing the fabric passing through the washing device to bepuslie without undue strain from the middle of the fabric toward theedges, in consequence of the rotation of thei'ollers undei the pull ofthe fabric, and of thus stretching' the fabric toits original widthwithout the exercise of forcible action. l

In an apparatus for mercerizing textile fabrics, the combination of atank for containing alkali lye, and of means for passing the fabricthrough said tank ina transversely unstretched condition with a washingdevice. for washing the fabric after passing through the said tank,comprising a tank dividedinto compartments provided with archedrotatable stretching rollers, disposed alternately at different heightsand displaced relatively to one/ another and arranged in groups with-inthe different compart-inents of the tank to be immersed in the washingliquid and consisting of a number of roller elements slipped over anarched shafty and provided with annular ribs of saw tooth section, withmeans for causing 4the fabric to pass over the stretching rollers whilepassing through the said washing device and with means for causing thewashing liquid to flow inthe reverse direction ofthe travel of thefabric, for the purpose of causing the to be pushed. Without unduestrain from the my lnume this 25th day of J unuary 1910, in

middle of thef fabric toward tfhe edges,1 in the presence ofl twosubscribing Witnesses.

conse uence o the rotation o the rol ersl w 1 1 T undef1 the 13u11 ofthe fabric, and of thus LDUALD HEBERLEIA' stretching the fabric to itsoriginal Width Witnesses:

without the exercise of forcible action. RANDALL ATKINSON,

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed l v A. PHILLIPS.

